USA Dot Com is a blog covering politics and government from a conservative Christian perspective. Verne Strickland is a 50-year veteran of investigative journalism. This blog offers a take-no-prisoners style with a modicum of biting satire. Verne and his wife of 55 years, Durrene, live in Wilmington, NC.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

I spotted this post on a site developed by a patriotic, conservative internet friend -- Craig Hawker of Waterloo, Iowa. I decided to check into it, and discovered "secret" revelations about the health care monstrosity known as Obamacare -- now the law of the land.Looking through the annotated material, I derived a chilling and candid picture of how President Obama regards "his America." It is like a scene from a horror movie. Especially to a guy like me. I will be 76 years of age on March 11, 2013. I have bone cancer.This original spadework was done by Judge David KithilThis is the fine print of "the bill nobody ever read."

Take
heed folks, the government just took over 1/6th of the U. S. Economy
through Illegal, Unconstitutional and Incestuous ways! Other goals such
as nationalizing the banks, automobile manufacturing and farming is
Childs play. Squelching “free speech by the opposition”, no problem!
Granting citizenship to 20 million Illegal’s, too easy and then they get
their votes! –Larry
Honorable Judge David Kithil
Marble Falls , Texas

At age 76 when you most need it, you are not eligible for cancer
treatment What Nancy Pelosi didn't want us to know until after the
healthcare bill was passed. Remember she said, "pass it and then read
it!!." Here it is!

Obama Care Highlighted by Page Number

THE CARE BILL HB 3200 -- JUDGE KITHIL IS THE 2ND OFFICIAL WHO HAS OUTLINED THESE PARTS OF THE CARE BILL.

** Page 50/section 152: The bill will provide insurance to all non-U.S. residents, even if they are here illegally.

** Page 58 and 59: The government will have real-time access to an
individual's bank account and will have the authority to make electronic
fund transfers from those accounts.

** Page 65/section 164: The plan will be subsidized (by the
government) for all union members, union retirees and for community
organizations (such as the Association of Community Organizations for
Reform Now - ACORN).

** Page 203/line 14-15: The tax imposed under this section will not
be treated as a tax. (How could anybody in their right mind come up with
that?)

** Page 241 and 253: Doctors will all be paid the same regardless of
specialty, and the government will set all doctors' fees. ** Page 272.
section 1145: Cancer hospital will ration care according to the
patient's age.

** Page 317 and 321: The government will impose a prohibition on
hospital expansion; however, communities may petition for an exception.

** Page 425, line 4-12: The government mandates advance-care
planning consultations. Those on Social Security will be required to
attend an "end-of-life planning" seminar every five years. (Death
counseling..)

** Page 429, line 13-25: The government will specify which doctors can write an end-of-life order. HAD ENOUGH????

Judge Kithil then goes on to identify: "Finally, it is specifically
stated that this bill will not apply to members of Congress. Members of
Congress are already exempt from the Social Security system, and have a
well-funded private plan that covers their retirement needs. If they
were on our Social Security plan, I believe they would find a very quick
'fix' to make the plan financially sound for their future." - Honorable
David Kithil of Marble Falls, Texas.

All of the above should give you
the ammo you need to support your opposition to Obamacare. Please send
this information on to all of your email contacts.

AND SO, FRIENDS, THIS IS A PICTURE OF OUR FUTURE. IF YOU ARE 76, AND HAVE CANCER AS I DO, IT'S EVEN WORSE. THIS IS A PICTURE OF OUR TOMORROW!

HOW DID WE LET IT COME TO THIS? BARACK OBAMA HAS READ ADOLF HITLER'S BOOK -- AND IS FASHIONING HIS OWN "MASTER RACE".

ON ONE END OF LIFE'S SPECTRUM, HE CLAIMS THE "RIGHT" TO MURDER UNBORN BABIES. NOW, LIKE A ROMAN EMPEROR, HE DECIDES HOW LONG EACH OF US WILL SURVIVE.

Thursday, February 28, 2013

(Reuters) - Israel's prime minister
accused his Turkish counterpart on Thursday of making a "dark and false"
statement by calling Zionism a crime against humanity - a comment
likely to hit efforts to repair ties between the two former allies.The Turkish premier's
statement, made at a U.N. meeting in Vienna a day earlier, was also
condemned by the head of Europe's main rabbinical group who called it a
"hateful attack" on Jews."Just as
with Zionism, anti-Semitism and fascism, it has become impossible not to
see Islamophobia as a crime against humanity," Turkish Prime Minister
Tayyip Erdogan said at theCivilizationss forum, according to Turkish
media reports.Ties between Israel and mostly Muslim Turkey
have been frosty since 2010, when nine Turks were killed by Israeli
commandos who stormed their ship carrying aid to Palestinians in Gaza,
under a naval blockade.In recent
weeks, there has been a run of reports in the Turkish and Israeli press
about efforts to repair relations, including a senior diplomatic meeting
earlier this month in Rome and military equipment transfers.The
reports have not been confirmed by either government. No one was
immediately available from Turkey's foreign ministry to comment on the
new criticism from the rabbis or from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu.A statement from the
Israeli premier's office said he "strongly condemns (Erdogan's)
statement about Zionism and its comparison to Nazism."The Zionist movement was the main force behind the establishment of the state of Israel."This is a dark and false pronouncement the likes of which we thought had passed into history," Netanyahu was quoted as saying.Pinchas
Goldschmidt, chief rabbi of Moscow and the head of the Conference of
European Rabbis, said Erdogan's criticism of Zionism amounted to
anti-Semitism.

"This is an ignorant
and hateful attack on the Jewish people and against a movement with
peace at its core, which relegates Prime Minster Erdogan to the level of
(Iranian President) Mahmoud Ahmadinejadand, to Soviet leaders who used
anti-Zionism as a euphemism for anti-Semitism," Goldschmidt said in an
emailed statement.

"The irony of
these comments will not be lost on the families of those slaughtered
during the Armenian genocide, a crime still not recognized by the
Turkish government," he added.Armenians
accuse Ottoman Turks of committing an orchestrated campaign of
massacres against Christian Armenians during World War One.Turkey,
which was established as a republic after the Ottoman Empire collapsed,
denies those killings were genocide and says both sides lost lives in
internecine fighting during the chaos of war.The
Conference of European Rabbis is an umbrella group of 700 religious
leaders in Europe, where an estimated 1,7 millions Jewish people live.
About 17,000 Jews live in Turkey, a country of 76 million people.(Writing by Ori Lewis and Ayla Jean Yackley in Istanbul, Editing by Andrew Heavens)

RALEIGH - State legislation to keep disruptive
protests farther from funerals unanimously passed the Senate on
Wednesday and was sent to the governor.

The Respect Our Fallen Heroes bill expands on a law that has been on
the books since 2006 and aims to keep groups such as members of the
Westboro Baptist Church of Kansas from disrupting funerals.

The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina has questioned
whether the restrictions violate the U.S. Constitution's protections of
free speech and protest. Supporters of the legislation, such as bill
sponsor Rep. John Szoka of Cumberland County, say loud, anger-inducing
protests violate the rights of families seeking to bury their loved ones
in peace.
The 2006 law says that protesters must leave the proximity of a
funeral at least an hour before it starts and can't return until an hour
after it ends. Current law requires protesters to stay at least 300
feet away from the service.
The new law would expand the time to two hours before and after the funeral and require protesters to stay 500 feet away.
The bill also toughens the punishment for breaking the law.
Members of the Westboro group travel the country to protest at
military funerals and other events, saying that the deaths reflect God's
wrath for a nation that is growing more accepting of homosexuality. In
the fall a small group from Westboro protested a military funeral in
Raeford. Hundreds of counter-protesters gathered to stand between them
and the grieving family and friends of a N.C. National Guard soldier who
was killed in Afghanistan.
The Raeford police chief said the Westboro group obeyed the law and
cooperated with law enforcement; a counterprotester was arrested after
he charged at the Westboro members.
Fayetteville and Cumberland County law enforcement said that they have never charged anyone with violating the 2006 law.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Farm Bureau Urges New Ag Labor Guestworker Program

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 26, 2013 – A new, modern guestworker
program for agricultural workers is needed so that U.S. farmers and
ranchers can continue growing food, tending livestock and contributing
to the nation’s economy, American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob
Stallman told Congress today. (Feb 26)

AMERICA SOONER OR LATER WILL HAVE TO IMPORT FARM

WORKERS . . . OR IMPORT FOOD!

“We want to keep these jobs in America for U.S. workers, not
outsource them,” Stallman testified to the House’s Judiciary
Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. Farm Bureau urged
lawmakers to implement a new, market-based labor program administered
by the Agriculture Department.
The new program would serve as a substitute for and eventually
replace the H-2A program now in place, Stallman explained. It would
also provide farmers with access to a legal and stable workforce over
the long-term. In addition, the new program would provide employers
with greater certainty that they will have access to the workforce they
need, when they need it and at a competitive cost.

American Farm Bureau Federation President
Bob Stallman testified before Congress about the need for a new, modern
guestworker program for agricultural workers. Click on the image for a
high resolution copy.

“Ultimately, agriculture’s goal is to develop a program that treats
workers fairly, while being efficient and economical for employers to
use,” Stallman said, noting that workers would be able to work for
multiple employers under a structure that enforces worker rights and
protects them from exploitation.
Stallman also addressed agriculture’s short-term labor needs in his testimony.
“In order to provide short-term stability and an orderly, effective
transition to a new guestworker program it is imperative that any
legislation approved by Congress include provisions permitting current
agricultural workers who might not otherwise qualify to obtain work
authorization,” Stallman said.
“Any new program will take time to be implemented fully,” Stallman
said. “Granting existing experienced agricultural workers work
authorization is a crucial part of making sure that there is not
economic dislocation in the agricultural sector while we transition to a
new program.”
AFBF economists estimate that the agricultural economy and the
broader U.S. economy are facing $9 billion or more in lost productivity
each year if the agriculture labor force issue is not addressed.
In closing, Stallman reiterated the cooperative efforts of a broad coalition – the Agriculture Workforce Coalition
– that is working in a unified manner “to construct a model
agricultural labor program that will work” for all sectors of
agriculture.

Minority leadership event looks to empower young professionals

By Stephanie Bowens

Last Modified: Friday, February 22, 2013 at 6:45 p.m.

Pender County Commissioner Jimmy Tate and his team at Progressive
Quality Solutions and Associates Inc. are seeking to empower young
professionals to become strong future leaders.

The Young Professionals
Minority Leadership conference presented by the organization, focused on helping participants learn about “achieving success through
leadership, took place Sunday and Monday at the Coastline Conference
and Event Center, 501 Nutt St., in Wilmington.

“The
goal for this conference is to help many who would not otherwise
possibly have an opportunity to learn about leadership achieve
leadership skills, and to let them realize their potential of
leadership, to understand their self worth, self value and improve their
self-esteem and know that through God they can do all things,” Tate
said.

While working in
education, Tate said he's unable to share his faith or introduce a
“spiritual component” to his students, but he says having spirituality
is important in life and in leadership, and can help young professionals
who feel stuck in a rut.

This conference, he said, will provide opportunity to include an emphasis on faith.

John Dismukes, active Young Republican from Wilmington, attended the sessions, and noted that he was impressed with the quality of the program and the obvious interest on the part of those in attendance.

“I left the conference feeling very encouraged. I spoke with
young folks from all over the state. My message that I tried to impart on all
of them is that: “the world is yours”, in America every individual has the
ability to self-determination," said Dismukes.

The two day conference included workshops on academic
success, political awareness, and behavior modification. Presenters included
Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo, NC Central University Chancellor Charles Becton,
and Baltimore County schools Assistant Superintendent Dr. Edward Newsome.

Wilmington flamenco guitarist "Paco" Strickland and I had a couple of important things
in common -- surname "Strickland", and we battled the same disease that
killed him just weeks ago at 60 -- multiple myeloma.

Things we didn't have in common -- he
was a gifted Flamenco performer. I was moderately successful as a
ukelele strummer through high school and college, and at any campfire
where free beer was served. I studied classical piano at East Carolina
University, but later morphed into rock and roll a la Jerry Lee Lewis,
which eventually eclipsed my future at Carnegie Hall.

Paco brought a lot of fun and enjoyment
to a lot of people. My wife and son and I often heard him at some of the
bars on Water Street. Because of that joy he created, I am in no way
forced to be reverent and somber on the subject of his passing. I think
he would have liked that.

So here's his obituary, published in the Star News on January 23, 2013

By Rachel Lewis Hilburn

Flamenco guitarist William “Paco” Strickland passed away recently after battling multiple myeloma – a form of blood cancer – for years.

In the early 90s, Strickland launched what became a nationally-syndicated flamenco guitar show called “Flamenco Café” on WHQR. The station carried his show for more than 15 years.

He also continued to play flamenco music in venues around the area. Exactly four years ago today, he performed on the program Soup to Nuts Live in the WHQR Gallery. And he talked with WHQR’s George Scheibner about his struggle with cancer.

PACO:

"Bone marrow, I still don’t -- you know, I kind of reject its thought. ‘I reject you!’ And so therefore, I’m trying to not pay a lot of attention to the actual disease of it. But it has not affected my playing. In fact, sometimes you can focus more on something – in spite of an obstacle. And I’ve been able to do that, so I’ve been saying, ‘Wow, where are these licks coming from?’ Maybe I just wasn’t hearing them before.”

In 2008, Strickland learned he had multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells in bone marrow -- his condition terminal.

On his personal Facebook page he explained that he’d received a bone-marrow stem-cell transplant in 2009, but to no avail. In the meantime, he wrote, though he was not performing his music, experimental treatments were affording him hope.

“Your prayers are most appreciated, St. Jude and St. Peregrine obliging,” Strickland wrote.

Paco Strickland
married his long-time partner, Connie Nelson, in a private ceremony on
Saturday – just two days before his death. WHQR’s Jemila Ericson
officiated.

William “Paco” Strickland was 60.

MY OWN BOUT WITH THE DISEASE STARTED IN 2009
OR THEREABOUT. IT SMOLDERED ALONG FOR AWHILE BEFORE THAT, CAUSED
RACKING PAIN AND ALMOST TOTAL LACK OF THE ABILITY TO WALK. SOON AFTER,
IT WAS DIAGNOSED AT CAPE FEAR CANCER CLINIC IN WILMINGTON.

RADIATION THERAPY AND A CHEMOTHERAPY REGIMEN PUT THE BREAKS ON MY
DISEASE AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS OF TREATMENT. TODAY, ALTOUGH THIS CANCER IS
DESCRIBED AS 'INCURABLE', I GRADUATED INTO REMISSION EARLIER THIS YEAR,
AND AM NOW WALKING WELL. THE CONSIDERABLE PAIN I SUFFERED AT THE
BEGINNING HAS SUBSIDED.

MY ONCOLOGIST, DR. WILLIAM McNULTY, SAYS THAT, 'IF WE CAN KEEP THIS
UNDER CONTROL FOR A FEW MONTHS, I AM CONFIDENT WE MAY BE OUT OF THE
WOODS. WHEN I FIRST SAW MR. STRICKLAND, HE COULD BARELY WALK. WHILE THE
BOOKS SAY MULTIPLE MYELOMA IS 'INCURABLE', I THINK HE HAS A GREAT CHANCE
AT RECOVERY.'

PACO FOUGHT A VALIANT BATTLE, BUT EVENTUALLY SUCCUMBED. HIS FAMILY,
FRIENDS AND FANS MISS HIM. AND I AM PROUD THAT PACO AND I, FOR AWHILE,
AT LEAST, LEARNED TO SING THE SAME TUNE. HE HANDLED THE LEAD.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

February 20, 2013 by Editor
PRINCETON, NJ — Eighty-eight percent of Americans say preventing
future acts of international terrorism should be a very important
foreign policy goal of the U.S., top among nine issues. Americans also
give a high priority to preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and to
securing adequate energy supplies for the U.S. Americans are less likely
to see promoting economic development in other countries and helping
other countries to build democracies as very important U.S. foreign
policy goals.
The results are based on Gallup’s annual World Affairs poll,
conducted Feb. 7-10. The rank ordering of the nine issues tested in the
poll indicates that Americans believe the U.S. should focus its foreign
policy on matters that can or do affect the country directly —
terrorism, nuclear weapons, energy, and favorable trade policies.
Americans give lower priority to matters that involve the U.S. acting on
behalf of other countries, including defending U.S. allies, working
with international organizations to bring about world cooperation,
promoting and defending human rights, and promoting economic development
and democracy. These lower priority issues do not have an obvious
benefit to the U.S., but they could certainly work to the country’s
benefit in the long run.
Still, a majority of Americans say each of the nine issues is at
least a somewhat important foreign policy goal for the U.S., indicating
Americans see some value in pursuing each.
Gallup has asked a version of this question five times since 2001.
Each time, preventing terrorism or preventing nuclear weapons has rated
as the most important foreign policy goal, with securing adequate energy
supplies also ranking relatively high. Building democracy in other
countries has consistently ranked near the bottom of the list.
In general, the importance ascribed to each of the different matters
has been fairly stable over time, with securing adequate energy supplies
showing a bit more variation, ranging from 68% to 82%. That variation
could be influenced by the prevailing energy situation, including gasoline prices, at the time each survey was conducted.Implications
Americans are most likely to say that international issues that have a
real or potential direct effect on the U.S. should be very important
foreign policy goals for the country. They give a lower priority to
matters that involve the U.S. assisting other countries. These
preferences have been stable over the past 12 years Gallup has asked
this question.
Thus, on the current world stage, for example, it is likely Americans
would prioritize the Obama administration’s efforts to prevent North
Korea from developing a nuclear weapon over providing assistance to
democratic movements in several Middle Eastern nations.
That is not to say Americans are highly isolationist, as two-thirds
or more believe a variety of actions designed to help out other
countries are at least somewhat important for the U.S. to do. But on a
relative basis, Americans show much more consensus on prioritizing
foreign policy matters that have a more obvious effect on the U.S.View methodology, full question results, and trend data.